Breaking Down The Buzz: Brooklyn Food Fares Well in New York Mag’s ‘Best Of’ Issue

New York Magazine has released its annual buzz-inducing “Best of New York” issue, and Brooklyn, of course, makes a solid showing in the food section, taking the prize in seven of forty-four categories. For those of you stricken by a paralyzing fear of crossing over or under the East River, here’s a breakdown of the Brooklyn picks:

Talde, in Park Slope, takes the prize for Best Dumplings for chef Dale’s original pretzel dumplings. New York says: “Two food groups New Yorkers love indisputably are pretzels and pot stickers, so Dale Talde was on to something when he thought of combining the two. To create this genius hybrid, he first forms ordinary Chinese dumplings with pork-and-chive filling inside Shanghai-style wheat wrappers. The chef then ‘pretzels’ the exteriors, blanching them in a baking-soda solution, then hitting them with egg wash and butter before pan-searing them and then popping them in the oven to brown.”

Battersby, in Carroll Gardens, (which also got a glowing review from the New Yorker last week) takes NYC’s Best Salad, for their bowl of flash-fried kale and Brussels-sprout leaves tossed with raw greens, Thai basil, cilantro and mint, and a sublime Asian-style vinaigrette. “It’s hot and cold, crispy and crunchy, sweet and sour with a bit of funk: a multiculti salad for a kale-crazed age.”

Williamsburg’s St. Anselm wins Best Steak for their $14 hanger: “It’s simply salted, expertly grilled, sliced across the grain, and loaded with flavor. A drizzle of garlic-steeped melted butter doesn’t hurt a bit. The coup de grâce, though, is the $15 head-scratcher price tag.”

The Commodore, also of Williamsburg, takes Best Grilled Cheese: “The ‘Adult Cheese’ at this hipster-besieged saloon is but one of many recent pimento-cheese additions to New York’s southern-tending foodscape (if a loosely interpretive one). It’s also the best: a housemade spread of roasted poblanos, grated Cheddar, cream cheese, and mayo, topped with a dollop of salsa roja, sandwiched between two lavishly buttered slices of Arnold Country White and cooked until crisp and gooey.”

Court Street Grocers, also of Carroll Gardens takes the belt for Best General Store: “Squeezed into the narrow storefront are (almost) all the necessities of 21st-century culinary life: bourbon-barrel-aged soy sauce from Kentucky and Sicilian salt-packed anchovies, upstate polenta and California olive oil. There are good cheeses, breads, and meats, many of them cohabiting in excellent housemade sandwiches, which can be consumed in the makeshift café next door. “

Portland, Oregon favoritePok Pok’s Brooklyn location isn’t open quite yet, but the “salty, pungent, garlicky chicken wings” at their LES outpost were NY Mag’s pick for best wings in the city. Read more about the restaurant and their plans for Red Hook here.

At number 8: Bacon Jalapeño Corn Bread at Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Star, “where the cornbread is brought to the table piping-hot from the oven in a cast-iron pan.”

At number 7: Fried Chicken at Williamsburg’s Pies-N-Thighs, “which manages to remain moist, with a full, meaty flavor, even after being dipped in hefty batter and deep-fried.”

And…cue drumroll…at Number 1: Spaghetti and Meatballs at Cobble Hill’s Brucie, where “the meatballs are not falling-apart tender but are bright and texturally varied, highlighting their fresh ingredients: organic meat and lemon zest.”